The long cold (hockey) night is over

I know I'm one of the few hockey fans in the world who still cares a lot about the sport but the NHL and NHLPA have finally reached an agreement according to this press release on the NHLPA website. While the details haven't been released it looks like there will be a hard cap linked to 54% of league revenues.

The next few months should be really exciting for hockey fans as the free agency period should be absolutely insane this season as teams try to dump salary to get under the cap and sign all of the free agents from last season. We will also find out where Sidney Crosby is going to be playing. Mr. Crosby has probably the most hype of any NHL prospect in recent memory and is already being compared to The Great One himself. Personally I think he'd look great in a red, white, and blue sweater playing next to Rick Nash but that's just me and about 40,000 other Columbus Blue Jacket fans.

The other exciting thing that hockey players and gamers will have to deal with is a host of new rules changes meant to open up the game. I'm guessing we'll be seeing smaller goalie pads and changes to icing, offsides, and two line passes that will hopefully open up the game. I'd also like to see some rules that outlaw the neutral zone trap that's been clogging up the NHL since the Devils perfected it in 1995. Regardless hockey as we know it will never be the same again.

Update: TSN has a lot more information on the deal here. Looks like a weighted draft which should give my beloved Jackets a slightly better chance of landing Mr. Crosby in the draft.